“You’d better. Because if this happens again, we won’t be sitting here discussing it. Understood?”
“Yes, Prez. I understand.”
Kneeling next to the man on the floor, I grab a fist full of his hair, lifting him halfway off the floor. Tilting his head back, I ask,
“Did you know that Stacks was cutting my product and selling it for his own profit?”
He initially stays silent, blood dripping from his mouth and bruises covering his face from Lone Wolf's brutal beating.
“Tell me!” I demand, tightening my grip on his hair.
“Ye-yes, I knew. But he promised to cut me in and I needed the money,” he stammers.
With my gun pressed against his chin, I turn to my cleaner, Dementor, and fire. “Sorry for the mess,” I say, as I let the bodyfall to the floor before returning to my seat. The room is filled with the acrid scent of blood and smoke from my gun. This was a mistake that shouldn't have happened. Lives are at stake and I will not hesitate to shed blood in order to protect my club.
“We need to find Stacks and resolve this before the next shipment comes in,” Hellhound remarks, knowing that as our treasurer, this has created a shit show for him. “We’ll have to send a message to the other runners, so they’ll know to never pull this shit and remind them who’s running this fucking show!”
“Exactly! And let's not forget, this isn't just about the drugs. It's about our reputation. If word gets out that someone can steal from us and get away with it, we'll have more problems than just a short shipment,” Avalanche adds, pulling out his nine, ready to roll some heads. “I've got a few contacts who might know where he is. I'll start making calls.”
“No need. I know where that asshole is. His crew is meeting us tonight, which is why I called for church. I want all hands-on deck for this one. They need to hear me loud and clear if they want to keep breathing.”
“Sounds good, Prez,” Vandal, my road captain, says, rising from his chair. “I’ll have us ready to roll in a few hours.”
“We’re adjourned,” I announce, as everyone stands. After tonight, I have another problem I need to handle. Elijah called a few weeks ago and said that the Savage Knights have been sighted, making their way toward the east coast. There’s only one reason they’re coming…Emberlynne. The thought of anything happening to her makes me sick to my stomach. Bringing her here to the clubhouse means revealing my secret life and I’m not ready to deal that blow. I’m not sure of how she’ll react. In the meantime, I’ll hire private security that will remain out of sight until I figure this out.
THREE
MAVERICK
The open roadstretches out under the clear evening sky. The roar of our engines fill the air as we ride in formation, a testament to our unity and discipline. Locked and loaded, we roll down the highway, taking I-20 West toward the outskirts of Atlanta. The looks of admiration and respect from other people on the road keeps me grounded. We may be considered outlaws in the eyes of the law, but we do a lot for the community. Besides, we are human and when we see a need, we provide. Back-to-school drives, food drives, we’ve done it all.
By the time we pull off the highway and onto the back roads, the moon is hanging high in the sky. It’s glow casting an eerie light through the trees. My mood has slightly calmed, but in no way has my anger subsided. The combination of dealing with this and constantly lying to my wife has me fucked up.
The road winds through the open terrain, as we turn down the final street, leading to our destination. As we approach the rendezvous point, an abandoned warehouse, the tension in the air is palpable. We slow down, pulling into a wide circle around the entrance to the building, blocking any path to escape. Blacksedans are parked in various spots, indicating that Stacks is already here.
Killing our engines, the sudden silence amplifies the sound of our boots hitting the ground as we dismount. Without hesitation, my men fan out, forming a semi-circle in front of me as we wait for Stacks and his gang to appear. The atmosphere is charged, every one of us alert and ready for whatever might happen next. Hands rest casually near holstered weapons, eyes scanning the surroundings for any signs of trouble.
A door creaks open and Stacks, along with his men, appear from the warehouse. There's an uneasy moment of silence as we size each other up, the tension is thick enough to cut with a knife. Murderous adrenaline courses through my veins, igniting my anger once more. This asshole has some nerve thinking his flimsy ass gang could ever intimidate me or my men. Tapping their shoulders, Steel and Nightmare step to the side as I walk forward and on my signal, they all draw their weapons, quickly moving to relieve them of theirs. With everyone in place, I call Stacks over to stand in front of me, his once cocky demeanor, diminished to a scared little boy who knows he’s fucked.
“You know why I called you and your men here, Stacks?”
“Maverick, I swear, I-I didn't do nothing!” He stutters out nervously, as he begins to tremble in fear.
“Now see, I can’t stand a liar and a thief!” I growl to his face. “At least Tank told the truth before he ate my bullet.” His eyes go wide, as what I said sinks in. “Do you think I'm stupid,” Stacks? You were the only one with full access. The product was in your hands. Drugs and money don't just walk off by themselves.”
“Somebody set me….”
“Don’t you dare finish that fucking sentence, asshole. You had one chance to make some good money with a solid operation and you blew it!” I seethe, ready to snap this fucker in half. Not only did you kill several of my customers, but now thefucking DEA has formed a task force to come sniffing around my territory.”
“Maverick, I didn’t know that anyone would die, you gotta believe me,” he pleads, falling to his knees like the little bitch he is.
“Belief has nothing to do with it. This is business, Stacks. And in my business, there's no room for thieves,” I say. “You brought the heat to my front door and now I’ll have to suspend distribution until they’re gone.”
“I promise it won’t happen again, Mav. Give me one more chance!”
“You’re right, it won’t happen again because only a fool would trust you again and the last time I checked, I ain’t nobody’s fool,” I grit out, ordering him to turn around and face his men. He doesn’t even bother to stand up because he knows his fate. “You won’t live long enough to recover what you’ve cost me.”
“Please, Mav. I have a family. I swear I’ll make it up to you,” he pleads, bringing his palms together like he’s praying or some shit.
